Builders, Consumer Units, Water, Sunday Callouts & Switc

[Click-Sure]

Run of the mill extension above a garage, (I have the job of 'doing t'lectrics).

Old garage roof came off a couple of weeks ago, exposing the top of a Memera 2000 consumer unit (with HRC cartridges, oddly enough) to the elements (unless it gets sheeted over properly at night).

It rained really heavily last night.

Phone rings this morning. "Our electrics have gone off and the RCD wont reset" so off I troggs with an idea of what has occoured, as I'm sure you'll be guessing by now.

For the first time in ages I was spot on. A flooded CU greeted me. Great, I thinks, a CU change on a Sunday, off I pop to screwfix and come back with a respectably priced (£99.99) 10W dual-rcd Wylex (and 10 double sockets and 5 ceiling roses, which will come in handy for second fix, until they decide what fittings to install permanantly). Opened the meter cabinet and found a DP isolator, happy days.
Proceded to change CU, dead testing as I go, sure enough, interconnection on the upstairs to downstairs lighting circuit. (No, not borrowed neutral) A quick removal of an unneeded bridge in the triple switch at the bottom of the stairs soon sorted that out! (loop-in-switch wiring BTW) Energised and tested circuit-by-circuit, passed, tools away, cert completed job done, pub time.

I really didn't need that on a Sunday, but I'm quite happy now, callout pay and a really nice little job to use for my annual assesment next month (along with the extension 1st and 2nd fix). I was thinking of using it anyway, but not comfortable with a 16th ed house and a 17th ed extension (have you seen how much those MEM RCBO pods cost!).

Still, that said, I don't think I'll ask to be reincarnated as an electrician, I think that of a cat would be a nice life.

 

[BS3036]

Sounds like a fun job really.

Two questions occur to me to ask (as a DIYer):

Did all the circuit cables reach the new CU?
Did you do anything to stop it happening again?

It makes me realise how good our builders were when they put a protective membrane over my CU when they did the garage roof!

 

[RF Lighting]

Why not just purge the exising CU with WD40?

 

[breezer]

no money in that

 

[Click-Sure]

BS3039:
Fun, on a normal weekday when theres not much work on, but not when you want to spend your second day off in 5 weeks on the golf course!
As luck would have it, all of the cables did reach the new CU nicely, the layout of the Wylex was not much different to that of the MEM I removed, as the cables were all coming through what was the garage loft there was enough slack for comfort.
The builder arrived part way through with some more sheeting.
RF:
Don't really trust WD40 in this sort of situation, spraying a flamable liquid into a main electrical component gives me the willies! I think there was a fair chance the water ingress permanatly damaged the RCCB anyway.
breezer:
Money from a job I really din't want to spend the day doing! On the bright side, it adds a little more meat to the annual assesment anyway.